Question
After killing off the beetles on my japanese maple, what should I do with the tree?  Should I prune off all the eaten branches or wait until next winter to prune.  It really looks bad...Just about every leaf was eaten.

Answer
Do not do anything. Hardwood trees which maples are one will put on new leaves when an insect eats the leaves. The branches are not dead and will sprout new leaves. You may not see many this summer but next spring the branches will leaf out. You may get some dieback but wait until after leaf out next spring and then IF there are dead parts of branches they can be pruned off then. Next year treat the tree with an insecticide called Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect Control. This is applied to the soil around the tree and the roots will carry the insecticide to the leaves and branches and if an insect feeds on the leaves they are killed. This will prevent the beetles for the season next year. Here is a web link to this product check with your local garden type store for it. http://www.bayeradvanced.com/tree-shrub-care/products/12-month-tree-shrub-insect...